Brother Vs. Brother

Brother Vs. Brother Season 1: Photo Highlights From Episode 1

Check out this recap from the series premiere of Brother Vs. Brother as HGTV's Jonathan and Drew Scott lead two teams of experts in the ultimate renovation showdown.

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Welcome to Brother Vs. Brother!

Every week, each team will renovate a different property using limited budgets and strict deadlines. The team that adds the most value to their property will be safe from elimination. The team that loses, however, will have one member of their team eliminated by their mentor, either Jonathan or Drew Scott.

Who's Ready?

Each team is fitted with five talented industry experts, from interior designers and architects to real estate gurus and artists. Team Jonathan (right) is Torche, Mark, Shannon, Inez and Francis. Team Drew (left) is David, Brett, Monica, Christy and Oliver.

Matt Harbicht/Getty Images

First Challenge: Assess the Value

The teams' first challenge is to assess the value of a 1951 ranch-style home located in Northridge, Calif. The home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and is 1,400 square feet. Drew gives the teams a value range of $300,000 to $400,000 for the area on a home of this size. Each team has five minutes to walk through and determine a listing value for the home.

First Challenge: A Close Call

Team Drew estimates $359,000 on the ranch-style home, while Team Jonathan estimates $322,000. The actual listing value is $340,000, making Team Jonathan the winner of the first challenge. Team Jonathan decides to keep this home, while Team Drew heads to a similar home nearby.

Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Team Jonathan: Advice From Their Mentor

Homeowners Anne and Bill want an updated kitchen with more counter space, new cabinets and an updated master bedroom. Each team member focuses on a particular space in the house except for Inez who decides to float between projects. "My personal strategy for this house is to help everyone out," Inez says.

Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Team Jonathan: Getting to Work

Homeowners Anne and Bill say, "We have the world's ugliest countertops." The team immediately goes to work gutting the kitchen to prepare for brand-new cabinets and countertops.

Team Jonathan: Living Room Before

Team Jonathan: Living Room After

A warm gray palette immediately brings the living room into the 21st century. The original white brick fireplace surround was also painted gray for a more contemporary look. A wall was also added to separate the space from the pantry and laundry room.

Team Jonathan: Kitchen Before

Team Jonathan: Kitchen After

Francis took on the kitchen, adding contemporary cabinetry, brand-new appliances, a sleek countertop and a mosaic tile backsplash. According to real estate expert Mike Aubrey during the appraisal, the new range and backsplash add a great deal of value to the home.

Team Jonathan: Kitchen After

Then there's the vibrant wall color, chosen by Francis. "The color of the wall in the kitchen  that is awful! This is not a Caribbean-themed makeover that we're doing here," Jonathan says. Mike adds: "This is the ugliest paint that I've ever seen in my life." Luckily, Francis' paint choice won't decrease the value in the kitchen.

Team Jonathan: Backsplash After

Team Jonathan: Laundry Room Before

Before, the laundry room was an open space only separated from the living room by temporary dividers. Jonathan advises that Mark build a dividing wall to create a separate laundry room off the back sunroom and a walk-in pantry in the kitchen.

Team Jonathan: Pantry After

By adding a wall, the home now has dedicated laundry and pantry areas. "This becomes a huge value-add to the house because it makes it so much more functional," Mike says.

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Team Jonathan: Laundry Room After

The dividing wall places the laundry room at the back of the house in the sunroom. "This is a much more functional layout for where you should have the laundry room," Jonathan says. Drew adds: "I will admit, I know this is adding value."

Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Team Jonathan: Bedroom Before

This master suite was anything but a getaway for these homeowners before the renovation. The parquet flooring was popping up in numerous places. Plus, there was a doorway leading to a second bedroom that needed to be closed off.

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Team Jonathan: Bedroom After

Shannon turns an awkward closet into a custom entertainment center for the space. "I see additional value in here, but compared to the rest of the house this room seems very builder-grade to me," Mike says.

Team Jonathan: Bathroom After

Before, the bathroom had terrible tile, a tiny mirror and an outdated color palette. Torche installs brand-new tile, adds a contemporary floating vanity with a stainless steel backsplash and a large, framed mirror. "The work that's been done in here makes a big difference to the space," Mike says.

Team Jonathan: The Appraisal

Mike's favorite parts of the renovation: the kitchen cabinets, tile backsplash, pantry and master bathroom. The team's additions brought the value of the home from $340,000 to $380,000 with only $12,163 invested.

Photo By: Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Team Drew: Advice From Their Mentor

Homeowners Carlos and Nita have lots of problems to fix in their home. They desire a more efficient bathroom layout, more cabinet space in the kitchen and new flooring throughout. The team's main focus during the three-day renovation is the bathroom and kitchen.

Team Drew: Fireplace After

Monica knows she wants the fireplace to be the showpiece of the space, so she adds a mosaic tile surround and updates the tile in front. "It really is an incredible transformation from what it was the last time I saw it," Mike says.

Team Drew: Kitchen Before

The original kitchen was dated, dark and offered very little storage space. Oliver decides to tackle the home's biggest potential for value-add: "The kitchen is where the family gathers, so I want it to be a functional kitchen first," Oliver says.

Photo By: Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images
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Team Drew: Kitchen After

Oliver transforms the kitchen with new flooring, wall-to-wall cabinetry, fresh countertops and updated appliances. "This is a different space. This is a huge dollar-sign difference," Mike says.

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Team Drew: Bathroom After

Prior to the renovation, the bathroom was dark, dingy and had worn, outdated tile. Brett adds a lighter palette, updated fixtures, a glass tile bathtub surround and replaces the original floor with peel-and-stick tiles (a decision Jonathan advised against). "The real value-add in this space is that they did the glass tiles over the bathtub and replaced the vanity. It's not huge, but it's not zero," Mike says.

Matt Harbicht/Getty Images

Team Drew: Bathtub After

David installs glass tile above the bathtub, which becomes one of the space's top features.

Team Drew: Bedroom Before

Team Drew: Bedroom After

Christy organizes and styles the room, making it feel more comfortable and inviting. She includes a custom closet in the renovation which isn't necessarily a value-add, but makes the space appear more livable.

Team Drew: The Appraisal

Mike's favorite parts of the renovation: the fireplace, the kitchen and the mosaic bathtub tile. The team's additions brought the value of the home from $282,000 to $332,000 with only $11,489 invested.

Matt Harbicht/Getty Images

Team Drew: Challenge Winner

Team Drew added $50,000 in equity compared to Team Jonathan's $40,000 increase, making them the winners of the first challenge and safe from elimination.

Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Team Jonathan: So Close!

Team Jonathan lost by a $10,000 difference. "Unfortunately, their kitchen renovation was better than this kitchen renovation and that's why they added more value," Mike says.

Elimination: Goodbye, Shannon!

With a loss comes a team elimination. Shannon focused more on selecting colors and textures for the spaces than actually working on projects that would increase the home's value. Because of this, she was sent home. Find out what she has to say about being eliminated.